1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to improvements for inflators used for passenger restraint systems and more particularly to an all mechanical self-contained inflator on the driver side of an air bag system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical air bag systems consist of one or more crash sensors disposed at several strategic locations in the crush zone of a motor vehicle and coupled to an electronic control circuit, and inflators with air bags disposed in the steering wheel (for the driver side) or the instrument panel (for the passenger side). The inflators are coupled electrically to an electronic control circuit so that when the sensors detect a crash of preselected magnitude, the inflators are set off and generate inflation gases for the air bags. However these systems require extensive wiring between the various parts of the motor vehicle.
In order to eliminate the disadvantages of the above-mentioned systems, all mechanical air bag inflator systems, i.e. systems which do not require electronic circuitry or wiring have been developed by the assignee of the present application as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,757 and U.S. application Ser. No. 008,689 filed Jan. 25, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,340, and incorporated herein by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,757 pertains to an all mechanical crash sensor. The invention in U.S. application Ser. No. 008,689 pertains to a means for mounting a mechanical inflator in a steering column. The present invention is an improvement of the structure of the inflator itself.